


Chasing a Dream

by FoggyGreen



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Action/Adventure, Enemies to Friends, Fluff and Angst, Freeform, Gen, George and Sapnap are hunters, Hurt/Comfort, Literally just manhunt with plot, Manhunt - Freeform, Minecraft, Not a romance, Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:15:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29296491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoggyGreen/pseuds/FoggyGreen
Summary: His hunter came out behind the dark oak.Dream prepared himself to see the green army cap and a grim sneer, instead he was met with a playful smile and a white headband. Dream froze at the unfamiliar person who grinned in front of him.“Not who you were expecting?”--The king's elite group of manhunters are tasked with one job: killing Dream. How long can Dream survive in the wild being hunted and alone?
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 64





	1. Hunted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few important things:
> 
> -This is more of an excuse to write an action/adventure story. It's not as based around the real people, but more so their minecraft skins/personas.
> 
> -There is no romance, only friendship. (but you can interpret things however you’d like)
> 
> -Those things being clear, if Dream/George/Sapnap or anyone says they are uncomfortable with anything/ want the fic to be taken down, it will be. 
> 
> -This specific concept is inspired by Dream’s manhunts (but with a plot and storyline). It’s also inspired off of ‘Green and Gold’ by Hognosesnake (which I highly recommend if you like this, it has similar points but with my own spin on things).
> 
> CW for minor gore, violence, spiders, language.

He knew someone was watching before he saw the shadowed silhouette of a person. 

It was late afternoon when the sun lowered, casting its golden hues of orange and shades of soft pinks stretching across the forest skies. The grass rippled in the light summery winds putting Dream almost at ease, though he could never be at ease. Not truly. Not when the shadows never stop following him

At first he thought it was a trick of the light, the outline of a tree. But the shadow silently crept away into the thick foliage like a lion in the grass. Immediately, his instincts lit on fire. 

His hunter was an older man, his face washed with wrinkles and his hair slightly graying which he attempted to hide with a dark green army cap, emblemed with the king’s insignia. Though his age was obvious whenever he had to keep up with Dream’s agile jumps, it made the avoiding part simple enough. The problem came from the man’s proficiency at wielding a sword, he was an experienced killer, trained at the king’s hand since birth. 

It felt like forever since he had caught up to him. Dream swore he lost him when his sword cut a deep gash in the old man’s arm, the blood had stained his jacket and dripped in thick droplets. It was meant to be a deadly blow, instead it only seemed to slow him down. For weeks Dream had been in peaceful silence while his hunter healed.

But now he was mere meters away again, Dream’s mind raced with escape plans and future attacks as he quickly surveyed his environment. The stakes were high and adrenaline fueled his movements. No matter what he seemed to do to the hunters, another would take their place and the chase would start again. It was a never ending game, and it was one Dream could never lose. One misstep was one he could never take back, it would lead him bloodied, forgotten, and decapitated. He needed to be better. 

He needed to kill him this time. 

He wondered what skilled assassin the king would assign next.

His ears strained for his watcher placed somewhere behind the over-seemingly thick trees. How close had he gotten and from where? The seconds felt far too long. Finally, he picked up muffled footsteps about 10 feet to the left of him. Dream could take his chance now, run in the opposite direction, get as far as possible, and yet his legs felt like lead beneath him. If his hunter was wounded just days before, Dream would have a good fighting chance. His hunter came out behind the dark oak.

Dream prepared himself to see the green army cap and a grim sneer, instead he was met with a playful smile and a white headband. Dream froze at the unfamiliar person who grinned in front of him.

“Not who you were expecting?” A young man remarked with a light tone as he cocked his head in mock curiosity. 

Dream found himself too dumbfounded to speak.

“He died, by the way.” The man added after a few moments.

“Huh?” 

“Your last hunter,” The man went on, “he died of an infection in his arm. The doctors did everything they could but the infection had already taken effect. It was a sword wound, from you.” He spat the last words like there was venom in his mouth. 

The man seemed unsatisfied with the lack of response from Dream because he continued.

“You probably don’t really care though, do you? Not about him, not about his name. Not even that he had a family, a wife and two kids. I mean, you’ve gone through so many hunters of the years, the king is getting tired of this cat and mouse game.”

“Imagine how tired of it I am.” Dream remarked dryly. 

“Not from what I hear,” the headband man gestured to the trees. “They say you enjoy this; travelling in the woods, killing. All seems second nature to you.” 

“Maybe it is.” Dream cooed, his confidence slowly coming back. He was much taller than this new hunter. Maybe it was naive, but he liked his odds. “What makes you think you’re going to be the one to stop me, that you won’t join the last hunter. Or the one before that, or the one before that?” He started counting with his fingers, a small smile crossing his lips.

White headband looked unphased. “Maybe I will,” His eyes flickered a couple feet behind where Dream was standing. He knew that look. His nerves burned as he registered the danger too late. “But then again, I’m also not alone.”

This was enough to send Dream out of his stupor and he flung himself to the side, just narrowly avoiding the blue shimmer of a sword swing. 

There were two hunters. 

It ricocheted through every crevice of his brain as he raced away. His legs carried himself over the biome, carefully navigating through the harsh trees. He didn’t have to glance behind him to know the hunters were not far behind, maybe even gaining speed. He needed a plan and fast. 

His eyes darted for something he could use to his advantage. He settled for a large dark oak tree with lower branches than its neighbors. 

If he could manage to get on the tree tops... 

He flung himself on the low branches and within seconds he was about 30 feet above the ground, untouchable by the men. The hunters stopped beneath the tree, contemplating their next move.

“Not afraid of heights, are we?” Dream grinned from his sturdy branch suspended high off the ground. 

Now that he wasn’t running for his life, he saw both the hunters clearly from his vantage point. They were both young; much younger than his previous hunters had been. Maybe even about his own age. He imagined they were new at the job. Freshly trained. Sent off to die. Dream almost pitied them.

The two had similar dark hair, but that was where the similarities stopped. The headband one had a much stockier build, it was clear he had been training for awhile. The one who almost killed him had a blue coat and white goggles worn over his eyes. He was lanky and vastly different from the ideals of a typical hunter, if Dream saw him at any other point, he would have never have assumed otherwise. The only indication was the diamond sword which gripped tightly in his left hand. 

His last hunters were older, but they were well put together. Organized. Deadly. He could hardly believe that the king himself hired the two. However, just like all the hunters, they proudly sported a small pin on their clothes which displayed the familiar horned insignia. It was almost impossible to find unless you knew where to look, and Dream saw it so many times by now that it was stained in his memory.

The hunter’s eyebrows knitted together in thought. Dream noticed that they weren’t careless. If they climbed, he would be able to get good hits in with his sword. Despite having a much better sword, the hunters would never counter because they’d be too busy climbing to defend themselves. Meanwhile, Dream was cornered on the treetops, unable to get down without getting killed.

The three of them were at a standstill. 

“If you come down now, we will consider not chopping you into pieces.” The one with the goggles tried. His words slurred with some sort of accent Dream never heard of before. 

“Good attempt, but no thanks.” Dream adjusted the rims of his porcelain mask which smugly hid his face.

“What if I said please?” The goggles one tried again. 

There was a long moment of silence. 

And Dream couldn't help it, he actually laughed, the kind that sounded a balloon deflating. Maybe it was because it was an attempt at a joke, but the kind so dumb that no one would laugh at it, or the fact that Goggles seemed proud of it, regardless. Or maybe it was because it was the first joke he’s heard in years. Either way, Dream had to calm himself down before he fell out of his branch.

“He can’t stay up there forever.” The muscular one observed. “We can just wait him out.” 

This put the goggles one back into reality and he made eye contact with Dream, then around to his surrounding branches in skepticism.

Headband followed his train of thoughts because he spoke again, “No way he can jump away from the other trees. The jumps are too far apart and even if he does we’ll just chase faster down here, he can’t stay in the trees forever.” He held up something small in his hand, the light caught it’s reflection and it shimmered brightly. Dream couldn’t make out what it was, he was too far away. 

The blue hunter hummed in thought before nodding slowly. “Alright.”

As the sun set and the world became dark, Dream realized the hunters meant what they said about waiting him out. They set up a small campfire so he could make out the outline of the two in a faint warm glow. 

Right now they were busy cooking dinner, roasting chickens to be exact. Dream would know because the smell wafted into the warm air and nestled in his nose. He clutched his stomach which rumbled in reply. He tried not to think of his empty pack which clung loosely at his side. 

“Can I have some chicken?” Dream’s voice rasped from the trees. Both the hunters seemed startled by the sudden noise seeing as their heads shot up quickly. They only seemed to relax when they saw that Dream had not moved from his position.

“Sure, but only if you come down.” There was no accent to the words so he assumed it was headband who said it. 

“Tempting.” Dream thought. “Maybe if you have some seasoning, I’ll consider it.” 

“Oh we have plenty of seasoning. Come down and have some with us.” White headband offered.

“Yeah c’mere, Dream. The chicken is really good.” The accented one sang cheerfully as he took a chunk off his chicken leg. For exaggerated effect, the hunter chewed disgustingly loud. “Mhmm, delicious!” His voice sounded muffled from the big bite, it was almost comical.

“Gross.” Dream’s face contorted in disgust. 

“I actually agree with him. George, if you make that sound again, I will be eating you for dinner tomorrow night.” Headband sounded completely serious.

“You would like that, wouldn’t you.” The one with goggles, George, joked as he went into high pitched giggling and then into violent coughing fits as he started choking on his chicken. 

The other hunter erupted with laughter which only got harder after George coughed more. 

“Whatever.” George pouted as he finally swallowed the chicken from his mouth. 

The two went into easy silence. It was comfortable and if Dream closed his eyes, he could almost pretend they were friends simply spending a night around a campfire. It was comforting to think about.

Dream must have been alone for far too long if he envisioned having a friendly night with friends with people who wanted dead, but still they made good company. At least for now. His last hunters were never very talkative. 

“You guys make much better conversation than my last hunters.” Dream blurted out loud before he could stop himself. “They were always too focused on getting my head on a stick, and they weren’t even too good at that either.” He chuckled to himself.

The two hunters stopped eating their dinner. Dream realized too late that it was an unfair thing to say, all his last hunters were dead. He killed all of them. Headband and Goggles looked at each other with a nervous expression, it was obvious enough that Dream could see their fear from 40 feet up in the air. An unspoken weight settled in the air and the two hunters hadn’t said anything else even when the moon rose to its zenith. 

Dream forced his body to move silently from his position in the tree. He looked down at the last burning embers from the campfire, it allowed him to see the two bodies laying down beside it. From what he gathered, George was taking the first shift, however the light snores let Dream know he fell asleep half an hour ago. It was exactly what he needed.

He precariously examined the surrounding branches in the moonlight. They were outstretched and far apart but if Dream climbed farther up, he might manage to drop down onto a branch from another tree. It would have to be painstakingly slow and tactful, but it was possible, and the only plan Dream had. Climbing down directly would risk waking them, taking away the only advantage he had.

With an objective in mind, Dream shimmied his way up the dark oak he was latching against. He ensured each of the branches were thick and sturdy before he put his full weight on them. The minutes felt long but he eventually made his way 10 feet up and settled securely on a limb

The embers from the campfire sputtered out completely now, any warm glow it left was gone. 

His next part of the plan would be the hardest. He would have to crawl onto the thin parts of the branch, far away from the base and then vault below to the next tree. The task seemed impossible, even when he studied it in the daylight. Now he would have to rely fully on the moonlight and memory. 

Taking a deep breath to settle his shaking hands, he continued forwards. The branch he was on started to droop from the weight and he internally prayed it would hold secure beneath him. The tree creaked in reply. Dream stopped crawling and focused on the hunters 40 feet below. He hoped the noise wasn’t enough to wake them up. 

Please be a light sleeper, George.

After a minute had passed without any shifting blankets or loud whispers, he figured they were both still asleep. Thanking whatever gods were out there, he continued on farther down. 

After what seemed like hours, he made it to the end. His hands were sweating and slipping on the wood but he managed to get a decent hold as he dangled his feet into the dark night.  
For a heart-stopping moment, he thought he miscalculated his route, but then his legs found the solid thick bark. He released a deep breath in relief. The night was still in blissful silence. Regaining balance on the limb, he carefully let go of the thin branch above him so all his balance was on the new tree and crawled towards its base. 

For the third time, he looked at the hunters who were now easily 60 feet away from him. As long as he came down quietly, he could make a break for it and be home free. He could distance himself from the hunters. He could stay alive. 

By the time Dream arrived on the taiga floor, the moon was lowering on the horizon. He would have a mere few hours before the sun rose and before the hunters would notice their mistake. 

It would be enough, he told himself. 

He walked away slowly at first, then once he was sure he was out of the earshot, he sprinted. He sprinted until he came across a rippling meadow where the sun touched the hills. His gleeful laughter echoed across the valley. 

Dream 1, Hunters 0.

*

As it turns out, the hunters were good at keeping on Dream’s tail. How they managed to do it, Dream may never know. He once crossed a forest so thick, his footprints were nearly impossible to track. But the next morning the two were there, like shadows. Shadows that always found him, shadows that never stopped chasing. 

He often wondered if he should lure them into a trap somehow, kill them and wait for a new set of hunters to find him. It would buy him time at most.

If he managed to separate them, taking away their advantage in numbers, he was sure he could take them.

He remembered the hunter’s words when they met.

They say you enjoy this; travelling in the woods, killing. All seems second nature to you.

Was killing second nature to him? He’s done it many times by now. Each death burned in his skin, etched in his veins like a sick tally mark. He collected enough tally’s by now that he doesn’t think twice anymore.

He tried to recall his first kill but couldn’t differentiate the one from the others. He wasn’t sure when they had, they started to blur together, many memories stitched into a singular hazy one. 

He supposed Headband was right. 

That night he settled on a plan. Two hunters meant relying less on his strength and more on his wits. He would trap them, leave them defenseless, and kill them. Same sword, different blood. It’s the same story. It’s his story

The next morning his bones ached from the work, and his muscles still burned but he finished his exhausting task. He could buy enough time to sleep peacefully for the entirety of next week. If the hunters were dwindling enough for the king to send his inexperienced men, maybe there was hope for Dream. If he played smart, he may win this game. 

There could be peace at the end of a slaughter.

The fire crackled steadily by his side, he made sure to add extra wood so the smoke could waft high in the stale air. He had no doubt the hunters would track him here but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to lend them a little help. Maybe they’d appreciate it.

All that was left was to wait for his shadows to appear.

The sun burned high and sweat trickled on his skin, the strong stench of saltwater lingered by his camp. He began to wonder if the hunters tripped over themselves on the way here, if he was spared the extra tally marks. Unfortunately, he never had that luck, the two emerged from the edge of the forest moments later. 

The one with the headband, Sapnap, is what George called him once, almost looked disappointed. He sighed heavily. “They said you were clever.” He looked down at the campfire in front of him, “I mean c’mon, are you really trying here, or are you just confident enough you could take us both.” 

Dream considered this thoughtfully. 

“I guess I am pretty confident.” He concluded at last, “But if you still have the seasoned chicken I'm willing to let you both live to see tomorrow.”

Sapnap hummed in thought, “What do you think, George, should we consider this deal?” 

George looked down at the blue sword in his hand, “If anything, he should be the one to bring us chicken.” 

Sapnap nodded looking convinced.

“So, Dream, if you bring us chicken we will maybe let you live.” Sapnap bargained. “What do you say?”

Dream hummed looking impressed. “That’s very considerate of you guys.” 

“We are generous like that.”

“I see, well, the only problem is, I don’t have any. Any chance you can spare me anyway?” 

“No, that’s a dealbreaker, unfortunately.” They raised their swords.

“Oh, that’s disappointing.” Dream took a deep breath, he could do this, he could win.

Both the hunters charged after Dream who darted along the sand. He formed his plan carefully the night before. It was simple enough: he shovelled a large hole in the sand, covered it with small sticks and leaves that he found in the forest, and concealed the top with sand so it looked like every other part of the beach. All he had to do was to lead them there and let them fall in his trap. He made sure to put a small, distinct rock so he knew where to avoid. The two were directly in tow behind him, if he kept up pace, it might just work. There was hope for him, he could relax after this. He just hoped his plan worked out like he imagined.

“Not so confident now are you, Dream?” George laughed hysterically. 

Just wait. Dream thought. A maniacal smile tugged at his lips. 

He was almost there, he could see the rock, he could feel the peace lingering in front of him, taunting him. The hunters were keeping stride directly behind him, Dream had to give them credit, they were fast even when the sand sank heavily beneath their feet. His other hunters must have been so easy compared to this. He supposed twice the hunters meant the king could afford inexperience. 

“Oh Dream!” Sapnap chimed.

If he squinted at the ground, he could make out the false sand concealed on the beach. It wasn’t perfect but he was sure it was disguised well enough. The hunters would be too focused on him anyway.

Just a few more steps, Sapnap was right in suit. When the rock Dream placed came adjacent to his feet, he lept far and glided over the hole with ease. The snap of sticks and a surprised yelp let Dream know Sapnap wasn’t so lucky. 

The hole Dream carved in the sand was more deep than it was wide. He knew it would give Dream plenty of time to deal with the other hunter, a simple 1v1. Dream liked those odds. Even more fortunate was that it was the headband hunter who fell in the hole. Goggles looked nowhere near as threatening. 

Dream whipped around in the sand, changing directions completely and charged at the hunter with his sword held high. 

“Sapnap?” George stood over the trap looking down at his friend with concern. He was too stunned to see the green figure sweeping toward him until he only just managed to raise his own sword in time to counter Dream’s high strike. Still, Dream had gained too much momentum and it sent George flying across the sand, his sword flown in the other direction. 

George was defenseless. 

Dream walked slowly at the lying body. George looked dazed from the hit, his hair swept messily in different directions and his blue clothes caked in sand. It took him a second to focus on the green figure menacingly lurking in front of him. 

Dream faltered, something was different about him, something felt wrong, he didn’t imagine it like this. He realized what was bothering him. 

He could see George’s eyes. 

His goggles must have flown off somewhere along with his sword because they made prolonged eye contact, his were terrified and wide with desperation. It reminded him of something, a memory buried deep within it’s edges. He knew he’s seen that look before, and not just in a frightened animal being cornered. Where has he seen that look? A recognition stirred inside him. 

Killing, all seems second nature to you.

Was it second nature? No, he remembered all his kills. Every fatal blow, every sick tally mark he collected. The memories surged with as much force as a tidal wave. The first one, his first murder, was the first hunter he ever had. It was an accident, Dream didn’t mean it, he didn’t know it would happen.

It was a couple months after he had been forced on the run. He knew someone was hunting him, he’s seen the man before, back in his village, it was a middle-aged guard with dark, bushy eyebrows. For whatever reason, it was him who was first tasked with hunting Dream down. ‘A ravaging monster with a smiley mask and a lime green cloak,’ at least that was what they called him. Dream had thought the whole thing was ridiculous, he wasn’t a monster. Maybe he was now. 

His hunter with the long eyebrows tracked him down in a flowering meadow, Dream ran, his hunter followed. He came across a deep ravine in which he only barely managed to leap over in time. His hunter couldn’t make the jump. Dream saw him cling to the edge, his fingers slowly slipping. Dream saw his face, he saw his eyes, the moment he realized his mistake. He watched his face wash into pure terror. Dream had tried to run back, to grab his hand and pull him up, but it was too late. The Hunter had already fallen and his body left mangled at the bottom of the dark pit. He heard the deep growls of zombies picking the remaining pieces. He felt nauseous.

He didn’t mean it. He didn’t know one jump would leave someone’s body forgotten, left for only the zombies to remember. Deep down he knew he could’ve saved him, deeper down he knew he didn’t in order to save his own skin. 

A singular tally mark had been etched into his skin that night, a tally mark carved deeper than the ravine in front of him. 

It was an accident, Dream almost convinced himself, how would he know the hunter wouldn’t be able to make the jump. Still the guilt weighed all the same. He could never forget the hunter’s face, the desperate look in his eyes.

It was the same look George was giving him. 

“GEORGE!” Sapnap yelled from the sandy pit. The pit Dream carved. The pit he intended on killing him in. He felt so nauseous in that moment, he thought he was going to puke. 

Something suddenly seemed so wrong in killing them. He could only do it if he was granted no other choice. Here, he had a choice. 

He looked down at his sword and then at the frightened body which lay before him. He looked at George. In a quick motion, he used the hilt and whacked the hunter’s head hard enough to hear a sickening thump. Not a fatal blow, just enough to knock him out.

He grabbed the simmering blue sword on the sand, placing his old rusting one next to George. He never liked that sword anyway. 

Dream escaped back into the woods soundlessly, he wouldn’t have time to relax, he would have to keep running. He could never stop running. Maybe there was peace at the end of a slaughter, Dream would never know. 

Dream 1, Hunters 1.


	2. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three finds themselves in a hopeless situation and resort to working together.

After the incident on the beach, the hunters never underestimated him again. They thought carefully about their actions and stuck together like glue. Most of the time, they tried sneaking up on Dream, attempting to catch him off guard. It was a good idea, but they were never silent enough for it, he heard their bickering long before he saw them. It would have been annoying if it hadn’t been making his job so easy. It was like a radar, letting him know when they were close. He didn’t even bother fighting anymore. He didn’t have to.

Even if he did, another would have taken their place. The king's designated manhunters were an endless group, they were smart, well trained, and easily replaceable. It made any effort to lessen their numbers nearly impossible. Even if he managed to cut off a head, two more would grow in its place. He would spend the rest of his life running. He could only attempt to survive for as long as possible. 

George and Sapnap kept hunting him, Dream let them. Cutting two heads, four more would only grow, and so he settled for two. Besides, as irritating as they were, they weren’t much of a threat and if it truly came down to it, he was sure he could take them. Instead, he only tried to slow them down, sometimes leaving a trap which got more and more elaborate as time went on. It was almost amusing now that he wasn’t constantly fending for his life. He liked the certainty of it all, that he knew he could slip away, that they would come back anyway. 

Sometimes though, he wondered why they always came back, they had to have known they were at losing odds especially since Dream stole their only decent weapon. Still, they seemed determined to try for whatever reason. 

He also wondered if they knew he faltered at the beach, he easily could’ve killed them then and there, instead he let them live. If they knew, they didn’t care. They still looked at him as if he were a wild animal, it was like it never happened at all.

The only difference was that George had taken his old sword, he saw him wielding it soon after. He supposed George had no choice, but still, surely he must have known Dream left it for him. Being weaponless in the wild was being as good as dead. Sure, it was very worn with plenty of knicks and dents, but it always did the trick. 

He wondered if he was foolish for leaving a weapon to the people who want him dead. Would he now die by his decision, by his own sword, he wasn’t sure. 

Something he was sure about is how to keep running. He began to grow familiar with the surrounding woods, fields, and mountains, and he was able to use them to his advantage. Sometimes he ventured into unfamiliar lands, but he never drifted too far. He made sure to never keep to a pattern, he kept his journey irregular to confuse the hunters. The hunters always managed to find him anyway. 

Even now while Dream kept in the scorching dry heat of an unfamiliar desert, he was sure they would follow him somehow. It was high afternoon, and his clothes clung to his sides. Sometimes, if the climate was just extreme enough, the hunters may decide not to follow directly, instead to take a longer, safer route. Dream hoped this was one of those times. He desperately needed a break. And this climate was definitely extreme enough. It was as if the remaining summer temperatures accumulated and poured down onto him relentlessly in one final effort. It made walking unbearable and never-ending. He was constantly tired and thirsty.

His eyes scanned to a small cavern somewhat hidden by a large dune and shifted directions toward it, figuring it would be better if he travelled at nighttime. He would rest for a few hours since he was already drenched in sweat, and the sun was starting to make him feel lightheaded. 

Inside, the wet stone, and constant shade cover provided a nice relief from the afternoon heat. The farther he went in, the colder the temperatures became. He never felt so grateful for a cave in his life. 

He settled for a small spot overlooking the cave entrance, it was safe just in case he had to make a quick getaway. He checked the eerie expanse of darkness that greeted him on the other end once more. Just like before, he was met with nothing. 

Sighing, he used his cloak as a pillow before curling on the hard stone floor. He told himself he would wake up by sun down and continue heading west with the moon. It was a good enough plan. 

He hadn’t realized how exhausted he was until he closed his eyes and sleep enveloped him in an instant.

By the time he woke up however, it was well into night time. He overslept. Even worse though, he was able to pick up a conversation. He recognized the voices. His eyes snapped open, all remains of slumber dissipated instantly as he tried to make out what they were saying, his senses now fully awakened. 

“Wait, it turned around.” The voices sounded distant, but he knew they would find him if he didn’t move.

“That can’t be right, we would be able to see him.” He heard George say.

“I’m telling you he’s here.” 

“Why would he be in the sky, you nimrod.”

“I don’t know, maybe the thing is broken.”

“Wait look, there’s a cave here.”

“You think he’s hiding out in there?”

“Shhh.”

He didn’t understand their conversation. What turned around? How did they know he was here?

Suddenly his mind transported back to their first encounter, he saw a small object catching the sun's reflection, he was too far to see what it was. But even back then, he noticed the way they talked, their confidence in finding him even if he ran, and how they could do exactly that. No matter how many precautions he took, no matter how discreet he was, they always came back so effortlessly.

They had a compass.

He was being tracked, it was the only thing that made sense. They had a compass following his every move. He saw it on that day on the tree tops, he was almost certain.

“Is he in there?” The voice snapped him back into reality. Gathering his things, he slowly crept along the cavern walls, making his way into the dark tunnels.

If they gave him no choice, he would have to fight them. Then again, they may not follow him deep into the cave system, they were being careful, they wouldn’t risk being ambushed here. Every hunter is trained to deal with monsters before going out in the field, but only the stupid seek it out. There were undead, skeletons rising from bone, spiders the size of cattle, and everything else that was horribly twisted and menacing. 

Dream had a few run-ins with monsters before, they were manageable, he never saw too many at one time, then again, he never went too deep in caves. Now he felt himself going deeper, travelling away from the noises of the outside, he crept until he was consumed by darkness. He knew Sapnap and George wouldn’t travel this far in, he would be safe here, still, his instincts lit on fire.

Closing his eyes, his ears strained to pick up sound. A slight patter of footsteps behind him made him wheel around. He was met with nothing but the empty black stare of the cave. It was quiet. Did he imagine it? Was it just his mind playing tricks on him? If it was a zombie or a skeleton then he would have heard rattling or growling. It could be a spider, the big nasty ones. He didn’t like that idea, would he be able fight it here?

For a long moment, it was as if the world stopped breathing. Then the hollow shuffle of legs came and filled the darkness again, Dream backed away slowly. He had to make a choice, death by the hunters, or death by this monster? A giant spider, he’d bet. To be slashed by his own sword, or eaten by a giant flesh-eating spider. At least the universe granted him a choice, that was considerate of it.

Before Dream could think any further, a familiar hissing reverberated around the emptiness, similar to that of a firework shooting in the air, just seconds away from bursting into a fury of colors. He knew what it was.

It wasn’t a spider. 

Dream made his choice, he gained as much distance from the monster as he could. He sprinted, running until the pinprick of white grew, the moonlight illuminating its edges. He didn’t stop until he knocked over into something, sending him tumbling onto hard rock.

Looking up, he realized he knocked into someone, not something. He knocked straight into Sapnap. 

George looked startled, but reacted quickly. He held up his weapon, and pointed against Dream’s neck before he had the chance to recover. The tip of his sword glinted dangerously in the moonlight, any closer and it would’ve drawn blood.

The message was clear: if he moves, his throat would be cut open.

He looked at his attacker, his white goggles were placed firmly over his nose where they belonged. In the heap of emotions Dream felt, gratitude was strangely one of them. Overwhelming fear was another.

George looked at him curiously. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, the moment passed in tense silence as Sapnap reached for his own weapon.

Dream thought for sure he was going to die right then and there. The hunters had bested him. The king’s longest chase would end, the last loose end securely tied.

Being distracted, he failed to notice the silent footsteps advancing behind the hunters until the monster stood motionless before them, its body emitted a soft glow. 

This made Dream’s mind finally catch up to him. He couldn’t recall if he instinctively yelled for them to run, or if the hunters heard the hiss themselves. Either way, he noticed their faces drop, registering the danger all too late, and by then, there wasn’t enough time to react.

And then, two things seemed to happen at once.

For one, a deafening explosion sounded behind the three, its force was enough to send Dream stumbling into the void. 

And then the earth seemed to rip open, splitting in half, and before Dream knew it, he was falling.

The monster made of green and sulfur, a creeper, as they’re called, exists mostly in folk tales and old stories. They write of a dark time before humans, when the world was much different, and the lands ruled by horribly twisted monsters. 

The stories say that sometime ago, a shift appeared, causing the world to separate into three vastly different dimensions. One that was made entirely of fire, the other of space, and the one they’ve grown familiar with. Because of this, it’s been theorized that most of the monsters had been separated into them, filtered in their own horrific dimension. The worst mobs were no longer a threat, unreachable to the normal man. It was then that more life could exist, and thus humans prospered. They built castles of gold and walls of iron. It was an era of peace, and yet, mobs still lurked in the confines of stone. They lie cold, unbeknownst, and waiting.

Dream heard this bedtime story every night, and yet, he could never figure out what the monsters were waiting for. It gave him nightmares, and some nights, he didn’t sleep at all. He hated it. He hated his dad for telling him about them. 

Now he was thankful, it gave him an edge in the wild. He knew what mobs were capable of, he knew how to deal with them. He knew it was one of these old creatures that exploded the cave floor, that it could tear rocks apart and create a large crater. What he didn’t know was that the creeper would reveal a deep underground ravine, long hidden under the desert. It was the void he was falling into.

For Dream, this was the world’s cruel karma for his first murder. His body would be left mangled and forgotten at the bottom of an endless pit. It was all he could do to wait for the hard thump and hope the zombies wouldn’t eat him beyond recognition. 

The sound never came, instead his body fell into a deep stream of icy water with a loud splash. The cold chill rushed in his veins instantaneously, the sudden change in temperature somehow felt hot, it burned.

Regaining his senses, he swam toward the surface and threw himself out of the water, coughing for air. His body shivered, head pounded, and his ears rang from the creeper’s explosion. His body was in so much pain he didn’t know which ache to focus on. 

Instead he focused on his surroundings, the ravine stretched far and wide and the only source of light was at the top where he had fallen from. It was a stroke of luck that the stream filled parts of the ravines floor, the water was deep, cloudy, and had various small waterfalls formed from small rock cracks within the wall. 

The underground river allowed some life to live in a place so cold and so desolate. Blankets of moss, vines, and other unfamiliar plants neatly coated the gray enclosure. Under different circumstances, the place could have been scenic. Maybe even pretty.

His only complaint was that it lacked an obvious means of escape. The only visible exit was directly above him and that would be nearly impossible to get to. 

Looking back at the water, he noticed George emerge and gasp for breath before diving back in seconds later. He idly wondered why George looked so frantic, and why he stayed in the river, surely the icy temperatures would freeze him soon. He watched again as George emerged, took a breath, and dived down again. He realized he was looking for Sapnap. 

Call him selfish, but Dream hadn’t even thought about what the explosion did to his hunters, they must have fell and landed in the river just like he had. Dream was surprised that George seemed okay after the blast, was it Sapnap that took the brunt of the hit? And if the three of them were trapped here, would they kill him? 

Would he be able to make it out alive?

Would any of them?

It wasn’t long before George had to take another breath, he glanced at Dream who watched him motionlessly, before diving down once again. It must have been exhausting and cold. If Dream was shivering just from spending under a minute in the stream, he wondered how long George would look for his friend. Would he risk hypothermia for himself? Did he really care about Sapnap that much? 

Has anyone ever cared about Dream that much?

Looking in the murky water, he waited for George to resurface, instead his eyes caught on a white headband slowly floating upward. 

It was the headband he’s seen many times. A sense of dread always came with the sight, now it looked almost… sad? It bobbed dejected and lonely on the water’s surface. Dream’s stomach twisted.

Before he could register what he was doing, he plunged into the water, preparing for the icy waters to consume him, it didn’t help much. Still, he dived deeper, feeling his fingers go numb, he kept going until he felt the slippery stone at the very bottom and laced the floor until his fingers caught on fabric. In a quick swoop, he grabbed the weightless body and hurled him up until he was lying on the dry ground.

The body looked much paler than it should have, for a second Dream thought he found him too late, it laid motionless, and unmoving. Finally, Sapnap took a noisy, strained breath. He was unconscious, but otherwise okay. 

“Sapnap!” George ran to his side, ignoring Dream completely. 

From the look of it, Sapnap must have taken most of the damage because his head had multiple tiny cuts and a larger gash on his forehead. George had no where near the amount of injuries, in fact he was probably the best shaped out of the three. 

“Why?” George asked at last, finally acknowledging him.

It was a simple question, but a good one. Dream really didn’t have an answer himself, he let himself think for a moment.

“I saved your buddy,” He started, “so you can’t kill me until we make it out of here safely.”

George seemed to carefully ponder his words, he looked up and down the ravine in thought.

“It might take the three of us working together if either of us ever want to see sunlight again.” Dream added, watching George’s face shift in a fluctuating range of emotions.

“Alright.” He concluded slowly, “But, I get my sword back.”

“No,” Dream said, ”finders keepers. You have your own.”

“That wasn’t finders keepers, it was my sword first!”

“No, I found it myself, in the sand. It was just coincidentally lying next to you.”

“Yeah, because it’s mine, I-” George’s words were cut short and he went into eerie silence. Dream listened but couldn’t hear much over the slight ringing in his ears and the constant flow of rushing water.

“What?” Dream whispered

“I heard something.” 

Dream’s ears were still slightly numb from the creeper, he waited for a long moment, finally he could make out a growing growl. He peered over for the source of the noise, a zombie hobbled closer to them, its nasty green skin half unpeeled to expose a rotten bone inside his arm. Dream wasn’t sure how he didn’t hear it sooner.

“Oh, yuck.” Dream unsheathed his sword and cut his head clean off before it had the chance to attack. The movement was fluid and effortless as he had done it many times before. He looked back at George who was frozen in fear as if he had never seen a zombie before. It made Dream wonder if his hunters were trained in killing monsters, the kind that weren’t people. His previous hunters seemed so unphased by everything, trained to deal with life outside the walls like it was their second home. They were calculating, and cold. Dream had barely scraped by with his life with each encounter. 

His new hunters were very different, it almost gave him vertigo thinking how they were all hired by the same person. Although outnumbered, George and Sapnap were much too inexperienced to do real harm. Dream would have thought he was worth the best manhunters in the business, having killed so many of them. Two inexperienced men simply wouldn’t be enough. Surely the king knew this. He must have known assigning them to Dream was condemning them to their deaths.

Maybe that was the point, Dream thought, maybe they weren’t too different from him after all. 

Was the king that heartless and cruel? He somehow didn’t doubt it. 

“Okay, you can keep the sword for now.” George said, interrupting his thoughts, “But I want it back after we make it out.” He watched as the zombie head rolled limply, getting swept into the stream and floating along with the current until it was out of view.

Dream scoffed. “So you can kill me with it? No thanks, I'll pass.”

“Yeah, that’s what makes the deal so great, you save us, I kill you, and then I get my sword back. It’s a win-win, if you ask me.”

“... I’m not sure you understand what a win-win is.”

“No, I think I understand perfectly.” 

“Can you both shut up.” Sapnap was sitting up now, he grabbed his head like it was going to fall off if he let go. “You’re gonna give me another headache, worse than the one I have now.” 

The two blinked, startled by Sapnap’s sudden interruption. 

“You’re awake!” George looked at Sapnap.

“Thanks for the observation.” He remarked dryly.

“Can you walk? We can’t stay here.” 

“Walk where?” He took in his surroundings. “I am not rock climbing out of here.”

George seemed at a loss for words at this, it was clear he didn’t know where to go either. Dream cleared his throat snapping both their attention onto him.

“I don’t think we need to. The cave I was hiding in, it went deep and I couldn’t see an end to it. Well, if this ravine was right under it, I’m willing to bet that it's all connected. If we find that cave, we can find our way out.” 

The two looked at him blankly. Sapnap must have fully realized what this entailed because his face morphed into horror. He turned to George who was expressionless.

“You’re not seriously thinking of doing this, right? He’ll kill us! Absolutely not.”

“We don’t have a choice, Sapnap.” George looked grim, “If we kill him here, we’ll never get out of here, and if he kills us, he’ll never get out. Like it or not, we’re stuck together.”

Sapnap turned incredulously to Dream, then back to George, to Dream again. 

“Besides, we can make him take care of all the mobs, and it’s not like we have to be friends, once we reach the surface alive we can go back to hunting him. It would be like nothing ever happened.” George’s words made Dream shuffle awkwardly.

Sapnap narrowed his eyes, looking unconvinced. He turned to Dream once more and studied him as if he was going to find the answer by boring holes into his soul. 

“George is right, I don’t like it either, but the only way we’ll make it out is if we work together.” Dream added.

Sapnap looked torn, he couldn’t deny that it was a valid argument. “How do we know you won’t backstab us right before we get to the top?” 

“How do I know you won’t backstab me right before we get to the top?” Dream countered. 

Sapnap hummed in thought. “Alright, fair point.”

“So do we have a deal?” Dream extended his hand toward Sapnap.

He looked at his hand as if it had barbed wires attached to it, but took it anyways, looking defeated. “Deal.” He sighed. 

“Great. Who knows, maybe this could be fun, you know, working together. We can be like… the Dream team or something.” George and Sapnap somehow managed to look even more miserable at Dream’s joke. “The Dream team. Cause it’s like a play on words, and we’re a team now.”

“...”

“Well, you guys can think about it, it was just a suggestion.” He shrugged. 

“Are you sure we can’t make it out without his help?” Sapnap asked in George’s direction.

“We could be the George team.” Inputted George, helpfully.

“The Sapnap team.” 

“Those don’t even make sense.”

“I’d rather drown in that river than be part of the Dream team.” Sapnap shot plainly. “Do you even know how to find the cave out?”

“Not yet.” Dream started walking toward the farther side of the ravine only to realize he was the only one. He motioned for them to follow.

Having little choice, the two strode beside him, looking miserable. They would have to trust him for the time being, and he would have no choice but to trust them. 

He walked at a slow pace partly because his legs ached from the fall, and partly because they were walking further from the lighted areas. Already darkness was enclosing and they couldn’t manage to find the connecting tunnel out. In all honesty, Dream wasn’t even sure if it did connect, and even if it did, would it be a maze of interlocking separate caves? It was a longshot but his only chance. None of them would be able to rock climb out, the rocks were far too wet and slippery from moss. 

Dream studied all the tiny stone indents and nooks intently, he scanned at eye level, and close to the top of the ravine, nothing at all indicated that there was a cave that travelled up to the surface. There wasn’t even a cave that connected at all. 

The ravine extended farther though, even as his eyesight adjusted to the dark lighting he could just barely make out the stone walls at the end. 

Maybe there wasn’t a way out, his mind supplied helpfully, Maybe they were trapped forever.

The further they went, the more he was beginning to believe it. In truth, he didn’t know much about cave structures, he’s been surviving on the surface all this time.

He looked at the two people behind him, Sapnap was very easy to spot in his white long sleeve, he was deadly silent which was a little concerning since normally the two would be arguing like an old married couple. Instead he focused his efforts on studying Dream. The mistrust was obvious and Dream couldn’t blame him. 

George on the other hand looked very on edge, he was always fidgeting and looking in different directions nervously. 

If either of them were worried that Dream might have been wrong about the cave, none of them were voicing it. 

Dream took a deep breath and continued further. 

“Wait.” George grabbed Dream’s arm, stopping him in his tracks. “I heard like a hissing or something.” 

“A hissing?” Dream looked in front of him, he couldn’t make out anything, he wondered if there was anything at all. He waited.

And then a pair of 8 tiny red glowing eyes blinked at him. It studied them curiously as its legs curled while balancing on a singular thick piece of cobweb. 

For the spiders he was used to, this one looked half grown at best. It was about the size of a small dog and didn’t make any attempt to attack. It was almost cute compared to the ones Dream faced before. Feeling relieved, he took his sword and swung at the spider’s head, killing it in one blow. 

“That wasn’t so bad.” Dream smiled, looking back at George who did not have the same emotion. Instead, he looked paralyzed, his eyes focusing on a spot behind Dream’s head.

Dream followed his gaze where he was met with another pair of glowering eyes, and then another, and another, until their vision was filled with thousands of red eyes which blinked in total unison. Turns out, there wasn’t just the one spider. There were hundreds. Oops.

“You idiot.” Sapnap whispered.

“Oh.” He swallowed nervously. “Maybe if we just back away very slowly-” The spiders didn’t give him a chance to finish his sentence, they let out high pitched shrieks that pierced through his entire head and left it hollowed bare. These were definitely not half-grown, they were as big as cows and they all crawled toward them with frightening speed. 

The trio didn’t say another word, and sprinted back the way they came, the spiders scaled the walls behind them advancing quickly. Dream made sure to slash anything that got too close. His efforts made very little impact on the spiders, instead all it seemed to do was anger them further. Not to mention how more seemingly appeared out of nowhere, cutting them off. His vision swarmed red and black. There were so many. Not even Dream could fight them all, and they were closing in. He had to think of something quick.

Before he could, George let out a blood curdling scream. Dream turned to the noise to find large arachnid legs gripping his back so he couldn’t move. He attempted to struggle but it was futile, more were closing in with a vengeance. He looked frantic.

Dream wheeled around extending his arm for George to latch on to in a desperate attempt to free him. It only barely managed to catch him in time, his other arm slashed wildly severing many spider legs in the process. It seemed to help weaken the grip as he pulled them both free. George stumbled as Sapnap grabbed his shirt and practically pulled him until he was away. Dream followed while using his sword to create more distance between the spiders. It was ineffective.

Most alarmingly, were running out of cave to run to, his mind spun as he thought of a way of escape. The three were backed in a corner now while hopelessly defending themselves. Directly behind them was the river, it flowed steadily through the rock. An idea formed within his brain.

Like all his ideas, it was dumb and reckless, but the water must’ve led somewhere, right? There had to be a bigger pool somewhere down the current, a secret tunnel hidden underneath the water. There was a chance… 

Or he could be wrong and the three of them would drown in a slow and painful death. Ah again, the universe granting him a choice in his death. It was getting very considerate these days. 

Dream made up his mind, he hoped it was the right option.

“Jump!” He shouted.

“Are you insane?” 

If he had the time, he probably would have responded with ‘Would you rather be eaten alive?’ or something like that. But unfortunately, there was no time. The spiders launched themselves toward them and in a last effort he pushed the two off the edge before jumping in himself to just narrowly avoid the spider's teeth. 

The frigid water surrounded him instantly making his veins turn to ice, it made him miss the warmth of the desert. Still, he submerged fully in the murky depths and swam along with the current. He was met with complete darkness. 

As it turns out, the underground river led to a small waterfall which Dream gracefully tumbled down and landed on his back, the water slapping him with such force that he lost his breath. Maybe it wasn’t the most ideal, but it beats being with the giant spiders by a long run. 

George and Sapnap were already sitting upright and sputtering and coughing out the remains of their lungs. Their landings must’ve been similar to Dream’s because they were soaking wet and their faces twisted in pain. It gave him whiplash thinking that just hours before George was holding a sword to his throat. The whole situation suddenly seemed so weird. 

It wasn’t until they looked back at him that he realized he was staring. 

“You just had to kill that baby spider, didn’t you.” Sapnap looked annoyed. 

“What’d he say as he killed it?” George laughed, ‘That wasn’t so bad.’ He mocked in Dream’s voice. 

“Um, I don’t sound like that.” Dream looked unamused. “You guys are just jealous that I saved your sorry butts from the spiders, and found the way out at the same time.” He motioned to the underground archway that was brightly lit. 

“We wouldn’t need to be saved if you didn’t make them angry in the first place.” George pointed out.

Dream glared at the two before wringing out his own soaked clothes, which in truth didn’t do too much to help. He sighed, giving up, and moved toward the source of the bright light past the waterfall. 

It ended up being a large pool filled to the top with lava. It sizzled and crackled, shifting from a faded orange to blood red, the heat it emitted immediately warmed Dream up and he stopped shivering. His eyes adjusted to the sudden shift in light and he found that beyond the lava, the cave went on, he was able to make out the upward slant. 

They must have been miles below the surface, it could take awhile before they reached there but the relief calmed him. It would only be a little longer until he wasn’t trapped underground. 

“Can we rest here for a bit?” Sapnap said as more of a fact than a question because he was already sitting against the wall before the two could respond. 

Dream couldn’t help but feel disappointed, he wanted to get the journey over with and move as far away from this place as possible, though  
all of them looked bedraggled and exhausted so he reluctantly agreed. The three sat gazing into the fiery liquid. Every once and awhile, a spurt of lava would pop above them, filling the stifling silence.

The lava seemed to be in a constant state of pattern, it would fade colors only to grow back to it’s burning red, crackle in it’s flames often, and pop occasionally. Dream began to grow impatient with the noises, his hands fiddled awkwardly in his pockets, they closed on a wet piece of fabric he forgot he had picked up. 

“Oh yeah, I meant to give you this after I fished you out, here.” He held Sapnap’s headband out for him to take, it was no longer white from the grime and muck but it was his all the same. 

He watched Sapnap’s face shift from distrust, to bewilderment. “I don’t understand.” He glanced over his shoulder at George who just merely shrugged. 

“It’s your headband.” Dream stated like it was obvious.

“Well yeah, I got that part. I don’t understand why you’re doing any of this.” 

“I figured we had a better chance of escaping if we worked together.” He shrugged nonchalantly.

“What about the beach.”

“What about it?” Dream frowned.

“Why didn’t you just kill us then, you obviously could have, you could’ve killed us at any point, you’ve just been messing with us.”

“Do you want the honest answer, or the one you want to hear.”

“The honest one.”

“The king will just send more and better hunters if I killed you two.” Dream said casually, “I just figured I have better odds if you survive.” 

There was silence for a long moment. 

“What’d you even do so bad that the king sends his whole army after you?” Sapnap asked out of nowhere.

“What did they tell you I did?” Dream hummed.

“Like, murder innocent children or something.”

“I didn’t do that.” He chuckled.

“You just killed your entire family then?”

“No.”

“Destroyed your village by burning it to the ground?” George suggested.

“No!”

“What did you do?”

“The king just wants me dead, I don’t know. You guys work for him, you tell me.”

“He didn’t say, he just enlisted a big bounty for whoever can kill you.”

“And you two took it without asking questions?” Dream asked incredulously.

“Well, it’s a lot of emeralds.” 

“So you just took the job then? What if I was innocent?”

“Are you?” 

“I-” He hesitated. 

“See? Exactly, killing a criminal for money seems fine to me.”

“Sure, but what if the criminal stole like, bread or something. Would you still kill them?”

“No, I guess not, but it’s not like we’re talking about stolen bread. The king really wants you dead, dude. You must’ve done something really awful.” Sapnap studied him cautiously, “A terrorist?”

“No.”

“A serial killer?”

“No.”

“Did you eat people?”

“What?”

“An assassin!”

“No.”

“Did you kill anyone?”

“No.”

“Rob the elderly?”

“Why would I rob the elderly?”

“I don’t know, you’re not telling us what you did, what am I supposed to think?”

“Not to mention that mask makes you look like a psychopath.” George included.

“Yeah, why do you wear that mask?” 

“I feel like i’m being interrogated.” He mumbled miserably. 

“Okay, so you didn’t kill anyone before this whole thing started, but you killed like what? 30 or something hunters with no problem.” Sapnap affirmed. “Let’s say you did just steal bread, but are you really that innocent now?”

“I guess not.” He stared uncomfortably at the lava, focusing on the fluctuating hues of gold. The brightness stung his eyes.

There was a long pause.

“I don’t think I want to know what you did.” He could feel Sapnap’s eyes burning into him. 

Another pause.

“I guess, since you did technically you did save us from the spiders, we can consider giving you a headstart.” Sapnap tied the headband back on his head. Dream smiled slightly.

*

The three travelled further in the cave, it went into various twists and turns and there were parts which were steep slopes, other parts didn’t seem to go up at all. At one part, the cave parted off into another area that was filled with cobwebs and old molded oak pillars. It looked to be an old mine shaft, now long abandoned. Dream avoided that route completely, the sight unsettled him. What unsettled him more was the darkness which invaded their vision when all light vanished completely.

“I can’t see shit.” Sapnap complained. 

“No one can, you nimrod.” George responded. “Unless Dream has some sort of night vision that we don’t know about.”

Dream couldn’t help but snort at the thought. “Maybe I do.” He teased.

“Ouch! Who just walked into me?” Sapnap protested loudly.

“Maybe if you weren’t so fat.” George quipped.

Dream heard shuffling beside him which he assumed was George colliding with Sapnap purposefully because there was another yelp of pain.

“Excuse you.” In response, Sapnap attempted to playfully shove George but instead he ended up pushing Dream who got slammed into the wall.

“Hey, that was me!”

“Oh oops, that was meant for George.” 

George must have found amusement in Dream’s pain because he erupted in laughter, causing Sapnap to join. George’s giggles were cut short by a thump which Dream assumed was him walking straight into a wall, Dream couldn’t hold back his wheeze at the whole situation. 

“It might help if we grab onto one another so we don’t stumble blindly.” Dream suggested when everyone had calmed down.

“No, we are not holding hands.” 

“Would you rather be lost in a cave forever?”

“Yes.” Sapnap sounded completely serious.

“No, just give me your hand.” He didn’t wait for an answer and reached blindly for the person next to him. The person next to him wrestled him away until it was a war, the two fumbled clumsily. Finally, he managed to latch onto the person’s hand.

“It’s all sweaty.” Sapnap grumbled.

“It is not!” Dream put out his foot somewhere in front of Sapnap so he could feel him stumble.

“You just tripped me!”

“I would never!” He gasped. “It must have been a rock.”

“I liked it better when we were trying to kill you.”

“Me too.” Dream agreed.

Once they got over the initial awkwardness, linking hands turned out to be a good idea. It kept them grounded, it gave the illusion of safety when they had each other to rely on. Even if their surroundings were constantly out of view, they at least knew where one another was. 

Dream’s free hand lightly laced the wall of the cave, feeling the coldness of hard stone beneath his tendrils. It allowed him to sense the twisting cave angles whenever they happened, and altered his path accordingly. His hunters would feel the change in motion and adapt to avoid stumbling into walls. It was an efficient system and it allowed them to communicate with little words.

The further they walked, the more Dream found himself appreciative for his company, it was undeniable that he wouldn’t have made it this far if he were alone. Still, a sudden sense of dread started to fill his stomach, his mind couldn’t help wonder what would happen once they got out. Even if they would give him a head start, they still had that stupid compass. Maybe if he broke it he could be free for a little while, he could rest. If he was only able to find where they were holding it and shatter it against the rock...

His arm whipped backward and snapped him out of his thoughts, the hunters stood very still and Dream quickly got the sense something was about to go terribly wrong. 

At first, he thought the two were going to kill him, and break their agreement. He was sure if they were nearing the top, if they just walked just a little bit further, it would round into the outside. Of course they wanted to make a move before Dream had any chances, they would play it safe as always. Still, Dream couldn’t help but feel a sense of betrayal.

And then he heard it, the undeniable sound of zombies growling. 

Straining his ears, he heard two different distinct growls, indicating they were more than one. It wasn’t that a couple zombies was too much for him to handle, there was one night he remembered in which he killed at least five at once. This time his sword was much more equipped with dealing for fighting thanks to George. But no, the problem stemmed from the thought that he would be fighting off of sound alone. 

“What do we do?” George whispered, voicing all the hesitance that Dream was thinking. 

The thought of fighting in pitch blackness made his stomach turn. The zombies scraped the walls directly in their path, they were so close to the top now. He couldn’t stop here. 

“I, uh- I’m gonna deal with them. You guys stay here, it’ll be easier if it’s just me fighting.” He managed to keep his voice even. 

He was confident in defending himself against monsters, the years of being alone all those nights taught him how to deal with them with ease. In the practice, he perfected his fighting style, studying his attacker, and strategically countering in a way to avoid as many unnecessary injuries as possible. It was a dance he was very familiar with. However, this would be a whole new choreography.

“You wouldn’t happen to have those secret night vision eyes, would you?”

“If that makes you feel better, sure.” Dream gripped the sword handle, and unsheathed it fluidly, it felt heavy as it always did. 

He charged before he had time to think about it, he figured if he swung his sword wildly, some of them were bound to hit. The zombies must have heard him approaching because he heard their feet shuffled fast toward him.

He managed to catch one zombie in an upward arc, he felt his sword rip through it’s throat like butter, it’s body scattered on the floor in a satisfying thump.

The second zombie was much trickier, it was less vocal and harder to pinpoint its location. He could only swing his sword and pray that it would find its target before his target found him. Finally, he felt the sword caught on rotten bones, and a gooey arm was strewn across the floor. It was clearly not enough to kill it however, because the zombie let out a strangled grunt, only slightly startled from the lack of his arm. Dream arched his sword again and the blow somehow managed to catch its head as the zombie crumbled to dust.

He waited to hear another zombie, or anything else that could go horribly wrong. Nothing came. The world seemed to hold its breath. No one else made a sound, not even George and Sapnap who seemed to never shut up. 

After long seconds, he seemed satisfied with the lack of responses. Of course, once he let his guard down there was a distant sound of bones rattle, and then the cold sting of an arrow piercing his arm.

Dream felt the instant rush of pain. He didn’t have to look to know that an arrow grazed the side of his arm, and that it was a deep cut. 

He was able to place the skeleton just a little farther shooting arrows with threatening accuracy. It was winding up another shot.

Springing into motion, he zigzagged blindly. It was a stroke of luck that he just barely managed to avoid stumbling or running into a wall. Even more lucky was the onslaught of arrows he managed to avoid, he heard the entourage of iron colliding against the rocks where he was just seconds before. 

Hearing the stretch of a tight bow string being pulled, was all he needed to locate the skeleton which was now just a few feet to the left of him. He swung wildly until his blade connected and lodged into an exposed rib cage. He forced all the remaining strength he could muster to slam the blade downward. It gave the desired effect, the bones clattered messily on the stone right beneath his feet. He was so focused on the task, he didn’t notice the warm touch of something nestle in his stomach.

Dream almost lost his balance, but managed to save himself before he brought a firm foot and stomped until he felt the skeleton’s jaw shatter, all movement dissipated from the monster entirely. His sword unlodged itself on its own and he was left hearing a sharp ringing sound somewhere in his ears. He fumbled again, normally he would get a certain set of satisfaction from winning, there was no satisfaction this time, he just felt numb. His surroundings were suddenly very disorienting. Something was very wrong. The pain came over in immense bursts, icing every nerve in Dream’s body and boiling over.

He gently grasped his fingers and found an arrow sitting in his stomach. Even the slightest touch erupted a new wave of excruciating pain, rimming his vision a blinding white. 

“Dream?” He heard George breath. He sounded unsure and careful as if he were balancing on a cliff and his voice would send all of them plummeting over the edge. Dream already felt like he was plummeting.

“It’s fine.” It meant to come out as comforting but he could hardly recognize the voice that came out of his throat. It was far too raspy and weak. It had the opposite effect of comforting. 

He managed a few more steps before collapsing. The room was spinning too much, and everything was closing in. The darkness strangled him with no room for air. 

He heard the hunters say more but the words felt like they were underwater, he felt like he was drowning. His sense of consciousness was slowly slipping. 

Then it was gone entirely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My bad for the cliff hanger guys :)


End file.
